Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif fails as Lee Dong Keun prevails in semi-final round of 2012 Korea Open
It was end of road for Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif in the Korea Grand Prix Gold as he failed to continue his unbeatable run in the semi-finals and crashed out after losing to Lee Dong Keun on December 8, 2012.
This epic tussle was staged at the local badminton arena of Hwasun-gun and it kept both shuttlers busy on court for three gruelling sets.
Both contenders challenged each other in all areas of the game and ended this crucial match with a nerve-racking result of 21-17, 18-21 and 21-19.
World Number 35 Arif Latif, who was hot favourite for this GP Gold title, proved all the predictions wrong by putting a below par performance.
On the other hand, the underrated but talented Korean campaigner delivered a stunner and earned the right to be in title match.
Dong Keun made his intentions clear straight away in the beginning of first set as he started the beating from very first stroke and established a decent lead in no time.
The Malaysian shuttler was not prepared for such an intensive attack as he remained at the lower end in most part of the game.
Arif kept on making fatal mistakes which ultimately resulted in his 17-21 defeat. He switched on the best after going down in the opening game and managed to counterbalance the situation in very next set.
This time he played with positive approach and brought the contest to right balance. He tipped the scale in his favour way before the mid-game break and placed a mountainous figure of 11.
After the one-minute break, Arif changed his tactics and confounded the native shuttler with a fine blend of power packed smashes and deceiving drop net shots. He struck hard when it mattered and swept the table with a significant margin of 21-18.
This revised match score position subjected both contenders to a tough trial as they were just one step away either from the title match or a woeful exit.
They stood toe-to-toe throughout the decider and this cliff-hanging game ended when the Korean player registered a winning figure of 21-19.
Now the victorious shuttler Lee Dong Keun will test his skills against Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand.
Tags: